By james art 
DERRY — Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance attacked Vice President Kamala Harris and touted former President Donald Trump in a last-minute bid to boost support in New Hampshire just two days before the 2024 presidential election.
Vance held the rally at the New England Sports Center in Derry on Sunday night. It was announced that Donald Trump Jr. was expected to join Vance, but he did not speak.
Vance’s visit to the Granite State was a bit of an outlier, as both campaigns have focused on the seven swing states where the election is likely to be decided. Vance held rallies in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, two of the battleground states, earlier in the day on Sunday.
“I have to be honest, a few months ago I wasn’t necessarily sure that the day before the last full day of the campaign we would be in the great state of New Hampshire, but I think that suggests that what we’re doing is expanding the map, we’re bringing new voters into this coalition, and for the people of New Hampshire who want to live free, we’re the only ticket in town, donald j. Trump is the only president for you,” Vance said. “I believe we’ll be painting New Hampshire red in two days.”
Trump cuts Harris’ lead in NH polls
Recent polls show Harris leading Trump in the Granite State, but by a narrowing margin. A University of New Hampshire research center poll released Sunday found Harris leading by 5 points, down from 9 points in the previous poll. A poll released Oct. 30 by Saint Anselm showed the same results: an increase of five, a narrower margin than previous polls. Political analyst Scott Spradling told WMUR that the Trump campaign may think they can take the state, and Vance’s rhetoric suggests the same.
Vance painted Trump as the candidate for change, not Harris, the incumbent vice president.
“I’ve never seen a politician so shameless who can stand in front of the American people and say on day one we’re going to solve the affordability crisis, or on day one we’re going to secure (the border),” he said. “Kamala, day one was 1400 days ago. What the hell is he doing all the time?’
more: Harris, Trump picks up states with 2 days left; new polls
Vance echoed many themes from the campaign, talking about high grocery prices, the border and the opioid crisis. He said the immigration crisis will “overcrowd” New Hampshire’s schools and “overwhelm” New Hampshire’s hospitals. He said the American president’s compassion “belongs to the American people who have a right to be here.”
more: JD Vance’s latest pitch to Arizona voters on Saturday linked economic problems to illegal immigration
Campaign officials at the event said they believed there were 1,400 attendees inside the building and 800 outside listening on loudspeakers. They chanted “JD,” “USA,” and “we love Trump” at various points in his speech.
Vance encouraged those in attendance to participate, saying it was the “only way” to win.
“I want all of you to go out and vote 10 times. This is not a Kamala Harris event. We only vote once,” he said, echoing Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. “This is how we’re going to vote 10 times the legal way. I want you to get to the polls on Tuesday and I want you to bring nine of your friends and family with you.
It was Vance’s first visit to New Hampshire since becoming Trump’s running mate. Trump last visited New Hampshire in January, before the state’s first primary. Vance made the first high-profile Trump campaign stop in the state since the spring.
His appearance was preceded by Republican congressional candidates Russell Prescott and Lily Tang Williams, as well as Trump’s New Hampshire campaign chairman, who encouraged the crowd to vote Republican up and down the ballot.
Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican candidate for governor, did not appear at the rally.
Trump supporters think New Hampshire is ‘up for grabs’
Trump supporters at JD Vance’s rally were feeling upbeat about the former president’s chances in New Hampshire.
“New Hampshire is really in a unique place because so much of the state can go both ways, and historically, it has,” Rachel Peters said. “I mean, in the last, I’d say 20 years, yeah, I’d say it’s been a little bit bluer. But I really think it has the ability to be a swing state, so it didn’t surprise me at all that JD is here, that there’s a Republican presence here.”
Bob Murphy said that although New Hampshire has voted for a Democrat for president in every election since 2004, he thinks this year is Trump’s best chance to drop out.
“I don’t think he would be here if he wasn’t in the game,” Murphy said, referring to Vance.
Murphy said he ignored polls that largely show Harris leading in New Hampshire. It was a sentiment echoed by other attendees.
But several people also expressed their distrust of the system.
“I think you’re going to see record numbers this year. I think you’re going to see 100,000 votes,” said Lisa Bannister, expressing concern about illegal immigrant voting.
Trump has increasingly made false allegations of high rates of non-citizen voting, despite data showing it is very rare.
Others said they were worried about people from Massachusetts or Maine voting in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan emphasized that New Hampshire elections are safe and secure and that voters “need to be confident that the voters on the checklist are citizens of the United States.”
Despite their worries about the election, everyone was enthusiastic about Vance, praising his positions on the issues and his speaking skills.
“He’s the Barack Obama of the new Republican Party,” Peters said.
This article originally appeared in the Portsmouth Herald: JD Vance leads NH Trump campaign in end game for state voters